


Ante

by Blubunn



Series: Road to the Endverse [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: 5x04, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Endverse, Foreshadowed Destiel, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-17 01:28:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11841138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blubunn/pseuds/Blubunn
Summary: Set in the year 2010, the Croatoan virus is getting out of control, Dean is building a quarantined refuge in an abandoned camp that bears a sign that reads, "Welcome to Camp Chitaqua," and the angels are preparing to abandon heaven.Anna calls on Castiel to persuade him to join them.Chapter ImageMaster Artpost





	Ante

“I’m glad you seem to be doing well, Anna,” Castiel said as he approached her, his tone apologetic. They stood in the middle of an empty highway that seemed out of the way and unpopulated. The road extended far into the horizon to the north and the south, surrounded by woods. He looked her over as he considered  the horrors of Heaven’s prison that was whispered about. He was worried for her, even when he first led her to be captured. Anna was not just his former superior, she was his friend. Returning to his old ways of knowing what was right, but doing what was expected of him blinded him to that. Even if it was only for a short time, he still led her to be hurt. He wondered at her escape of the prison, but didn’t want to pry. She was here now, and seemed well enough.

Anna looked over Castiel, her brow raising at him. She offered a small smile in a gesture of peace between them, to set bygones aside. “You seem different, Castiel,” she noticed. “Your travels appear to do good for you.” 

Castiel shrugged with an almost bashful smile not quite reaching his lips as looking down at himself. He had been all over the world, multiple times, following leads to the whereabouts of God. In that time, he had met a variety of people, some who rubbed off on him. Now, he found himself at Dean’s side more often than not. He glanced behind him, down the stretch of the road to the south. Dean was building a camp several miles away out there, using the remains of, what he called, “an abandoned summer camp,” as his foundation. With Sam elsewhere in the country, Castiel found Dean more than willing to accept his help. Even now, Castiel felt uncomfortable being away.

“What is it you needed to tell me?” Castiel inquired, turning to Anna once again. She was very insistent when she called out to him, but secretive. She warned him not to tell anyone that he was meeting with her, but that it was imperative that he see her immediately. As much as he disliked doing it, Castiel left Dean’s side with the false excuse that he needed to check on a lead, but that he would return in the evening if it didn’t pan out. He tried to only keep his absences to when Dean slept, but he didn’t have anything promising to report for so long, Dean seemed almost hopeful when he readily let Castiel go. It seemed God was Dean’s last hope as well as Castiel’s.

“We’re leaving, Castiel,” Anna told him as her smile faded. Castiel tilted his head at her, considering her declaration. It seemed a vague thing to say to him. His brow rose as he put himself on alert. He wondered if she meant to capture him for Heaven now. He considered that she meant to seek revenge, and felt for his angel blade beneath his sleeve, ready to draw it out. Anna seemed to sense his apprehension and shook her head. “You misunderstand, brother. The angels are leaving. Everyone. Even the rebels.”

Castiel tucked his blade back, but remained tense. “All of you?” he repeated. “What does that mean? The garrisons? The rebels? The host? Everyone?” Castiel wondered if this was why things were so quiet. Angels didn’t bother Dean anymore. It’s been some time since the last one demanded his acceptance of Michael. He wondered if it was because of this. If it was because the angels were giving up.

“Everyone,” Anna nodded. “We’re going to make a new start for ourselves.” Castiel couldn't fathom the angels and the rebels leaving together. He wondered when things got so bad that the angels would set bygones aside so they could abandon earth all together. Things were bad, but Castiel still couldn't lose hope like that. Not while Dean still hoped for a better future. "The garrisons,” she continued, “the ranks, the laws, they all mean nothing now. We're all going to find our own places in this universe. We're free, Castiel. We’re actually free." Anna stepped toward Castiel and held up her hand toward him, her palm facing the sky. "I’ve come to retrieve you. Come with us."

Castiel narrowed his eyes at her offered hand for a brief moment, and considered what she was offering. That she came for him, even after everything he did to her, it warmed his heart. However, he couldn’t help, but consider Dean. "What about..." he trailed off as he looked over his shoulder, back in the direction of the camp, Dean's camp. His gaze returned to his sister's after a moment as he finished his thought, "What about the humans? We can't just leave them here for Lucifer. What about God? If we can find Him, He can make all this right again. We can’t just give up on this planet."

"For the love of--wake up, bro," Gabriel said from behind Castiel, causing him to shift away from Gabriel with a start. Gabriel held up his hands, palms out in a gesture of peace as he continued, "Dad's long gone. Joshua has proclaimed it. He doesn’t care about what happens to us anymore, so we all decided it’s time for the chicklets to flee the coup.” 

Castiel could barely fathom his long lost brother standing before him much less take in the information he was trying to give him. “Gabriel,” he breathed. Castiel blinked at the sight of him, trying to register his really being there. “Gabriel!”

The archangel rolled his eyes, realizing he would have to do this song and dance. He grinned at Castiel as he said in his best cartoon voice, “Thaaat’s me!” He laughed as he stepped forward to give Castiel a brusque pat on his back. “In the flesh.”

“Where have you been?” Castiel exclaimed, still uncertain how to process Gabriel’s sudden reappearance. “You’ve been gone for...for…”

“Forever, I know,” Gabriel laughed.

“All this time,” Castiel wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or angry to see him again, “where have you been?”

Gabriel waved his hand dismissively at the question. "That's so, ‘who cares,’ now, bro. Focus on what's really important. It's the end. We need to get out of here before this world, and everything near it catches fire.”

Castiel hesitated at that. “We can’t abandon them…” he reiterated his stance on the humans. “If the angels leave their post, there will be no one left to watch over them. Who will protect them?”

Gabriel shrugged at that, no stranger to shirking his responsibilities. “You did what you could, Castiel,” he tried to comfort his brother. “You did more than you could, more than you had to. The humans made their beds, and the Winchesters made their choices. It’s too late for Michael to take up Dean as his sword. Lucifer already has his."

Castiel’s eyes widened at that. “What...what are you saying?”

“Sam said yes,” Anna interjected, giving Gabriel a disapproving look as she touched Castiel’s arm in an attempt to bring comfort. “It’s over now. Lucifer has his vessel, and he’s already planted the seeds to begin his takeover. This virus you and Dean are hiding from? It's only a step in what he's already unleashed on the world.  Even if Dean said, ‘yes,’ now, it’s too late for anything to be done.”

“Which means, brother mine,” Gabriel spoke, his hands in his pockets as he rocked on his heels, “we better get while the gettin’s good.”

“But,” Castiel looked at the ground, searching for something, anything that would change the news he heard, “but what about God? Shouldn’t we all triple our efforts now more than ever?”

Gabriel rolled his eyes as he groaned, “Didn’t you hear me? God is gone. He knows everything, and he left us anyway.”

Castiel shook his head, reaching into his pocket to clutch Dean’s necklace for the courage to believe otherwise. “That can’t be true.”

“Even if we didn’t come here to tell you,” Gabriel sighed, “you knew that he was gone long before we did.” When Castiel shook his head again, Gabriel clicked his tongue while his features became twisted with a hint of frustration. “You know it’s true, Cas. You've been everywhere. All over this planet. We all know you have. We’ve seen you, multiple times in multiple countries during this past year. It doesn’t take that long for us to scour the world, so I’d even go on a limb here and say, you’ve been over it at least twice, if not more. If Dean's piece hasn't perked up for you yet," Gabriel smirked, "I think it's safe to say, it's not gonna. We're on our own, little brother."

Castiel shook his head as his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He tried so hard to believe God was still out there, but the more he tried to block out Gabriel’s words, the harder it was to deny. He had been all over the world more than once, more than twice. He couldn’t bring himself to believe God would just abandon them all like this. "I can't just stop looking,” he said. “He can’t just be gone. What about the humans?”

"The humans?" Gabriel scoffed. "That virus is eating them alive, Castiel. If not the virus, they're either murdering each other or over indulging themselves to death. They're already finished, a hopeless cause. Even now, you could run around the world a hundred more times looking for Dad, it won't make an ounce of difference. You know Dad's not here anymore. We’ve all seen you playing house with Dean. You offered to,” Gabriel lifted his hands and quoted the air twice with his fingers, “‘postpone’ your search so that you could help Dean, but we all know you’re not looking anymore. You float around when he’s sleeping, but you’ve already given up too. In your heart, you accepted the reality. Dad's high tailed it. Now let me tell you something else you should start to accept, Castiel.” Gabriel took a step forward, squaring his eyes on Castiel’s. “Staying here any longer now is just suicidal."

Anna watched Castiel as Gabriel spoke. She watched his knuckles whitening as Gabriel kept pushing him. She watched as Castiel's eyes became so bright with desperation, she thought his vessel might burst from it all. She could see him searching for a way to explain himself, racking his mind for a rock he may not have turned yet. "Gabriel," Anna said as she placed a gentle hand over Castiel's tightening fist and turned her attention toward her trickster brother, "go now. Gather whomever will follow you, and find your new home. I will finish with Castiel."

Gabriel bristled at that, but just as quickly, he relented with a sigh. He prepared to leave, but he paused a moment to say his final piece, looking to his brother, "We didn't sign up for this, Castiel." Gabriel was always so flippant, even in the past when he lived in Heaven, that it was strange to hear him take on such a somber tone. "The humans have failed us, not the other way around. The Winchesters have failed us. I just wanted to enjoy the fruits this world have to offer.” He decidedly neglected to mention playing with some of the humans, occasionally violently, to entertain himself in his earlier years up until recently. He believed that he got his point across without mentioning it. “And you? You signed up for the Winchesters to save this world because of what you see in it. You see the beauty in Dad’s creation, and you wanted them to preserve it, but they failed. They failed, Castiel," he repeated, trying to drive his point as deep as he could into him. "They let Lucifer out, but wouldn’t take the steps they needed to put him away for good. Now Sam let him in. You've done everything you're required to do for these people, for the Winchesters. And more. Get off this rock, and start again somewhere else.” 

He gripped Castiel’s scruff with brotherly affection as he added more pleasantly, “I'll even let you stay with me. We'll have endless tea and cake, burgers and women. It'll be lovely." Castiel remained tense and quiet, refusing to allow his brother’s final attempts to get him to leave touch his heart. Gabriel sighed, relenting for the last time as he slid his hand from Castiel’s neck to rest on his shoulder. "Pray to me, little brother, if you change your mind. I'll keep the line open for you. Pray to me, and I'll come get you before you can blink." With a gentle squeeze to Castiel's shoulder and the flutter of heavy wings against the cool, evening air, Gabriel was gone.

Anna looked at Castiel with concern in her eyes. A heavy silence passed between them after Gabriel left, neither sure how to address the other now. Anna was the one who broke the silence first, "You can't save them, Castiel. Dean and Sam. They're already lost. If you stay..." she hesitated a moment, knowing that if she was still human, she might not have the courage to say this to Castiel, "Dean will kill you."

Castiel’s gaze shot toward her, narrowing his eyes in a glare. He didn’t know what she was going to say, but he didn’t expect that. He shook her hand from his, and stepped away from her as he twitched his head in the negative, "He would never..."

"You have to see it, Castiel," Anna insisted, stepping toward him. "Open your eyes. You can't have forgotten how quickly he gave me to you after Uriel threatened Sam. Every button he had that would endear me to him, I know I must have pushed them all. He should have wanted to protect me. I was an innocent, but he sold me out. Dean will never choose you over Sam. If the choice is you or his brother, he will choose his brother, and Lucifer's grip on Sam is so tight, Dean will lose himself in this absurd fight for Sam's soul.” She grabbed his arm, begging her brother to see the truth in her words, trying to find how many ways she could repeat herself to make him understand, “Castiel, can’t you see it? Dean will kill you if it gets him to Sam. You will die alone, unloved, uncared for, by Dean's own will. Then Lucifer will kill him. We don't need prophets to see that.” She pointed down the road leading south, where she noticed Castiel kept glancing. She knew Dean was down that road. “There has never been a clearer end to a path than the one at the end of this. He. Will. Kill you."

"Stop!" Castiel hissed, his body trembling with rage as he shook her off him. Rage that she might be right. Rage that his loyalty was wavering once again. Dean’s love for Sam was strong and bright, despite their estrangement. He recalled when Dean even sought to break his attempt at a life away from Sam to invite him to the camp when the virus was getting out of control, just to make sure he was safe. He was relieved when they discovered he was immune to the virus, but Dean extended the invitation anyway. His love for his brother, his need to keep him safe would always override his decisions to keep the world safe. That was the original purpose of their separation. Sam declined to join them at the camp, but Dean still insisted that he call if he needed anything. Now, Sam needed Dean more than ever, but Dean going against Lucifer now. It was dangerous. If he told him about Sam, Dean would run to him. Something broke off inside Castiel as he considered all the time Dean had spent with him after the brothers parted, the time they still had ahead of them. The camaraderie they shared would never be greater than his love for Sam.

Castiel gave a twitch of his head to shake out the anger and the doubts that came with it. He couldn't abandon Dean now. There was already too much between them. He sat on Dean’s side of the betting table when he began, and now,the time to show his cards was closing in on him quicker than he thought it would. "I trust him,” he said, his voice low, but firm. He narrowed his gaze on Anna as his feet felt as though they were digging into the ground, solidifying his decision to stay on earth. His voice became stronger as his confidence in his decision rose, “Whatever he wants, I will help him. If he believes that he can save Sam, then I will lend him every ounce of my strength and my power. I will be his sword and his shield against Lucifer. I can't,” he paused at that before he shook his head and amended, “I will not abandon him now."

Anna was silent for a long moment when Castiel finished speaking. She was beginning to see something in Castiel that would have broken her heart at one time. She turned her gaze toward the road that led to Dean's camp. "It will hurt, Castiel. When we separate, when we abandon Heaven, your Grace will slowly fade away. What you want to do for Dean, what you want to be for him, it's impossible. Soon after we all leave this planet, you will become like them. What you feel now will be nothing compared to what you will feel when...when you can feel."

"I can handle pain," Castiel insisted with a stubborn shake of his head. "I was a soldier. I am a warrior. I am not afraid of being hurt."

With a shake of her head, Anna’s eyes darkened toward him. "You have never felt this pain before. I remember losing my parents as a human. Even now, my chest burns where my human heart had broken. If you think God turning his back on us hurts you now, just wait. His abandonment will feel far worse than anything you have ever experienced. And Dean? Dean is a man to love, and, Castiel, you will grow to love him as a human can. Of course you will. When you finally admit that God does not want to be found, especially when your powers have left you, all that will be left for you is Dean. He may come love you too, but you will never be Sam. The man who believes in self sacrifice, this man who sold his own soul; he will kill you. For Sam, he will kill you.”

Castiel remained silent, turning his eyes to the ground. He was trying so hard to ignore the fears he felt that his sister spoke aloud. He was determined to keep his faith in Dean. Anna sighed after a moment and pleaded once more, “I’m begging you, Castiel. Come with us. Come with me. Go with Gabriel. Go with anyone of our brothers and sisters, but leave him. Leave him, Castiel. You don't know the horrors of what you'll face if you turn yourself over to humanity. If you turn yourself over to Dean."

Castiel let out an inaudible sigh and relaxed his hands, giving them a light shake after clenching them for so long. They were going to continue this dance until one of them turned their back, so he decided to be the one to turn away once again. He lifted his gaze toward Anna, his eyes steady and unyielding. He heard enough. "Goodbye, Anna." He turned from her and left her as he made his way down the road that led back to camp. Back to Dean. 

He heard her call his name, begging him again, but he kept walking. There were no more chips on his side of the table. Castiel was putting everything he had, everything he was, with the humans. “Pray to me!” Anna gave him a final call before he heard her wings beat against the sky. The thought crossed his mind. He would not bet on the humans. He would bet on Dean. As the sound of Anna’s wings faded, he knew almost as soon as the sound was gone. He was the last angel on earth.

**Author's Note:**

> The chapters in this series are poker terms, and have been set up as the beginning to the end of a poker game.
> 
> Ante: This is the beginning stage where a bet/bets are made before the players are dealt their cards.


End file.
